1. Field
This is related generally to electronic equipment, such as computer systems including a plurality of input/output connectors associated therewith. Certain aspects relate to methods and systems for selectively shielding or blocking electromagnetic signals from a computer system.
2. Description of Related Art
Electronic equipment, such as computers in a rack-based server system, radiate electromagnetic signals, which can cause electromagnetic interference (EMI) adversely affecting other electronic equipment positioned nearby. The amount of radiated EMI has increased with increasing operational frequencies and power of contemporary computers. Computer designers typically attempt to eliminate or reduce EMI by enclosing the computer in electromagnetic shielding. However, these computers generally contain a plurality of components that need to be periodically accessed by the computer operator, such as I/O ports, storage devices, removable media, and power supplies. Therefore, the housing providing the electromagnetic shielding should provide some access to those components.
Computers typically include a plurality of input/output (I/O) ports for coupling the computers with network cables or other external devices. FIG. 1 shows a prior art group of I/O ports on a computer 100 (only the motherboard 112 and the front panel 114 are shown). These I/O ports typically comprise board-mounted portions mounted onto the computer motherboard 112 and terminating in I/O connectors 120 (e.g., sockets) which can be coupled with corresponding I/O connectors for each I/O device being connected to the computer (e.g., plugs that can be inserted into the I/O connector 120). I/O ports may be used, for example, for connecting the computer to peripherals, network cables, keyboards, monitors, and the like.
When a plurality of I/O connectors 120 are provided in an opening 122 along a single wall of the computer enclosure, the I/O connectors 120 are usually separated from the edges of the opening 122 and from each other by small gaps. These gaps may allow an unacceptable amount of electromagnetic signals to radiate from the computer. Therefore, a sheet metal I/O shield 110 having a plurality of I/O connector openings 102 is typically used to receive the I/O connectors 120 and to provide EMI shielding for the gaps between the I/O connectors 120. These I/O shields 110 are sometimes referred to as EMI/RFI connector gaskets. However, because a single metal sheet is used to shield multiple I/O connectors, any redesign of the I/O connector layout would require that a new I/O shield be designed and fabricated. This can undesirably increase manufacturing costs, in addition to adding delays to the design timeline for new products. In addition, if a manufacturer has multiple computer models, multiple I/O shield designs must be kept in stock in order to be available for new orders.
Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide a system for blocking or reducing undesirable EMI emissions, while maintaining flexibility in I/O connector layout.